The Benefits of Troubleshooting Your Electrical Wiring

Currently engrossed in some home improvement projects? You’ll want to add rewiring your house to the list. If your home’s at least 20 years or older, chances are you have outdated wiring. For homeowners who want to ‘modernize’ their home, that feat isn’t possible without functional electrical wiring. Perhaps home improvement isn’t your prerogative, maybe you’re headset on cutting down your bills. Outdated wiring is nothing but an unnecessary expense if left untreated.

To Rewire or Not Rewire…

For the sake of your wallet, safety, and convenience, you should. Old electrical wiring is like finding a patch of mold on the wall, it’s relatively harmless to ignore for the time being, but leave it alone and eventually there can be dangerous consequences. If your house is at risk of old or faulty wiring, you shouldn’t wait to act, and here’s why.

Your home is a fire hazard waiting to happen. Old electrical wiring is typically made with aluminum and a rubber coating which can deteriorate over time. When the wire is exposed between drywall and insulation, it can easily overheat and start a fire. If you’re someone who likes to use multiple appliances at the same time, you might be at risk of overloading the circuit breaker, which could either shut everything down or overheat and start a fire.

You get to deal with an easily avoidable frustration. Let’s face it, people want to be able to watch TV, while enjoying the comfort of their air conditioning, charge their phone, and cook something for dinner all at the time. Older houses that only have 60 amps simply don’t cut it. Typically people need at least 100 amps to enjoy their multiple appliance conveniences without any trouble.

Good luck selling your house. If you want to sell your house, you’ll need to make sure you have updated electrical wiring. Future homeowners will be very interested in whether or not their potential future house has clean and functional wiring, and a house with outdated wiring won’t pass inspection.

What Are the Signs of a House in Need of Rewiring?

You don’t want to wait until you smell smoke, as the old wiring is very much a fire hazard. Since the issue is literally inside your wall, finding all the clues that lead to outdated or faulty wiring might sound tricky, but luckily it’s not. If your home needs rewiring, you can expect to find the following.

Flickering lights.

Buzzing or sizzling sounds.

A persistent burning smell, something like burnt vinyl or plastic.

Discolored or charred outlets.

Frequent tripped breakers or blown fuses.

Electric shock from plugging or unplugging appliances.

Eager to Get Started? Here’s How

If you have experienced any of the warning signs, you should contact a licensed electrician immediately. It’s important to stop a fire hazard as soon as you see one. Always let the professional fix the problem, homeowners who try to fix faulty wiring themselves can either make the problem worse or severely hurt themselves. The good news is that there are options. It’s really a matter of what the problem is.

If it’s just the circuit breaker, it’s time to upgrade your electrical panel. The purpose of your circuit breaker is to cut the flow of electricity through your house if a circuit is at risk of overheating. If you’ve been making several trips to flip the circuit breaker, you’re either overloading a circuit with appliances, there’s a short circuit somewhere, or it’s time to upgrade your electrical panel (circuit breaker). This is generally the first step toward rewiring your home, and it’s not guaranteed to work especially if your home has old wiring.

If your house has some history to it, chances are you need to rewire the house. Old wires eventually need to be replaced, especially wiring dating at least 30 years back. Thankfully this doesn’t necessarily mean an electrician will have to tear down entire walls, it depends on the house. Rewiring your house does, however, mean replacing all the wires, outlets, switches, and fixtures, which can be expensive, and cost anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000 – a necessary expense for safety and functionality.

Give Your Home the Electrical Wiring It Deserves.

All homes require constant maintenance, whether it’s fixing a leaking pipe, replacing insulation, installing new major appliances, etc. Electrical wiring is just as important. No homeowner should have to worry about their safety or negotiate with an outlet as to what appliance gets to function.

If your home has seen some better days, don’t wait, and call Excel Electric today for electrical wiring services.